Top critical review

This dvd contains some of the weaker episodes in the series. The episodes on this dvd are Smith and Jones, The Shakespeare Code, and Gridlock.

Smith and Jones= This episode introduces the Doctors new accomplice, Martha Jones. She is acted by Freema Agyeman, and I think she is a great actress and brilliant for the part. The episode is about a hospital transporting to the moon and the Doctor and Martha are in it. Aliens that look like rhinos come and execute anyone who gets in there way. This episode is good but it is not in the same league as some of the later ones ( 6.5/10 ).

The Shakespeare Code= In this episode the Doctor and Martha go to 1599 to see Shakespeare but there are some evil witches. This episode is the best on this dvd and I enjoyed it a lot. It has some great acting and quite a good plot ( 6.75/10 ).

Gridlock= This episode is set on New Earth and everyone is in a large traffic jam. This episode also has The Face Of Boes death. This episode in my opinion is the worst in the series and I think it is like being in a large traffic jam myself. I think The Face Of Boes secret at the end is annoying and if you haven't watched the last three episodes it seems really stupid ( 3/10 ).

I reccomend this dvd but I do think that you should buy other episodes first.

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A lot has already been said about the wonderful impact series 3 of DOCTOR WHO has made. I'd like to add a little more to the collective.

I shed a tear during the final ten minutes of DOOMSDAY and realised (on that beach in Norway, Wales) that we were not just facing an ending, but also a plateau. And then, a bit further beyond that, a new beginning. BILLIE PIPER had to go, but her work was done; the series itself had reached a point where the only way forward was up. And 'up' for Doctor Who means one thing: regeneration. Not for the lead, no - he's as perfect as we're likely to have for a long time - I mean the series itself. So what did we get after a three-month production hiatus?

SMITH AND JONES. A wonderful opening episode. Full of excitement and spectacle. Outrageous in execution yet supremely light on its feet (surprisingly so, given the uber-heavy Alien Menace on display). Oh, and did I mention a new companion for the Doctor? MARTHA JONES...she's excellent too. As is the little old lady with the straw (sorry, Plasmavore - aka: villain of the piece). The effects on the moon are wonderfully imaginative (the JUDOON spacecraft reminded me of the transport shuttle landing from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY with that little red flight-deck light at the top, an incredible detail). That a full adventure with a satisfying resolution can be had within forty-five minutes - and still leave room to introduce Martha's family - is testament to the supreme creative understanding of, and confidence in, a show that just keeps on getting better.

THE SHAKESPEARE CODE also displays loving attention to detail. The background shots of Olde London Town look superb are are integrated seamlessly with the live-action. The witches are firm and fruity and the idea that words can act as numbers (with the aid of the Globe Theatre) to unlock a curse is fascinating. It helps, of course, that those words belong to The Great Bard himself. Yes, there's a lot of knowing references here, but there's also no better setup in the world with which to exploit them. A joy to watch and a superb episode.

GRIDLOCK has the most intriguing story of all and is the visual treat to match. A seemingly endless traffic jam under the dead city of New New York leads to the return of Cat-Novice Hame (from NEW EARTH), a surprise monster reveal for fans of a certain age and a quasi-religious 'quiet moment' that actually brings a lump to the throat in its simplicity of execution. Other outstanding treats include an amazing CGI shot of the city that wouldn't seem out of place in THE PHANTOM MENACE, The Face Of Boe's demise and The Doctor's sad recollections of his homeworld, Gallifrey. A terrifically downbeat ending.

Also check out the performances of all the characters in these three episodes. Not one lets the side down. That's because they all know it makes for a heck of a reference on their cv and is unequivocal proof that pride in the job still matters. The same goes for the entire production team. I just think of the cynical age that we live in and feel bloody lucky that a tv show like this can still be made.

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The third series picks up the momentum from series two quite nicely, and the first three cracking epsodes, : "Smith And Jones", "The Shakespeare Code", and "Gridlock".

"Smith And Jones", introduces us to the Judoon, hulking rhino-like policemen who have a very unorthodox way of pursuing non-humans like the Doctor. They mark humans with an X mark on their hand, and with a humourous twist anyone who hits them from behind is executed. Their target is Annie Reid as a Plasmavour who does away with poor Roy Marsden very easily, and her two leather-cladded henchmen with motorbike courier gear.

"The Shakespeare Code", is in my opinion the best episode of Doctor Who so far this series. The great bard is superbly brought to life by Dean Lennox Kelly, (Kev in, "Shameless") with a great deal of humour, and detail to the period. Three witches want Shakespeare to write, "Loves Labours Won", the lost masterpiece which has an element of truth in real life. It didn't exist. The play opens a gateway for the witches so their sisters can come through, and terrorise Elizabethan England. The final scene of the episode shows Queen Elizabeth I appearing, and recognizing the Doctor she shouts, "Off with his head!!!". An excellent script from Gareth Roberts, and superbly directed by Charles Palmer.

"Gridlock", is what the third series is all about. The words from The Face Of Boe, played by Struan Rodger, "You Are Not Alone" = YANA, played by Sir Derek Jacobi in episode 11, "Utopia", neatly sets the tone for this episode, and a marvellous performance from Ardal O'Hanlon as Thomas Kincaid Brannigan.

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Smith and Jones - When Martha Jones and the Hospital that she works at end up on the moon she meets a man called the Doctor and an alien race called the Judoon who are hunting an alien who is hiding there. 8/10

A great start to the new series it jumps higher then the last series opening with David Tennant doing his thing as the Doctor, and Freema Agyeman finding her feet as Martha Jones.

The Shakespeare Code - The Tardis takes the Doc and Martha to Elizabethan England where Will Shakespeare is under the control of strange witch-like creatures 10/10

A fun episode with the Tardis crew meeting Shakespeare and trying to stop history from being destroyed.

Gridlock - In the far future New Earth is a death trap, Martha is kidnapped and the Doctor not only has to save her but rescue everyone on the motorway from a crab like creature, from his far far past 8/10

I liked this one because not only does the Face of Bo return but he gives his final message to The Doctor "You are not alone"

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Doctor Who's back with the same old Doctor and a brand new companion, Martha Jones. The first three episodes of the third series don't disappoint, neither does Martha.

Smith And Jones is possibly the best series opener of Doctor Who ever. Not only does it introduce Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), but it also has incredible special effects and the Judoon are so cool.

The Shakespeare Code is another delight from the past as the Doctor (David Tennant) meets a genius that is almost clever as him. Also look out for the scary Carrionites.

Gridlock is my favourite episode on the volume, because the special effects are fab, there's the sad death of the Face Of Boe and the return of the Macra after 40 years away from the series. And also I love episodes set in the future.

So, go out and buy this DVD on 21 May 2007 and keep watching Series 3 of Doctor Who.

To finish off, here is a list of release dates for the remaining volumes:

Volume 2 (Daleks In Manhattan, Evolution Of The Daleks, The Lazarus Experiment, 42): 25 June 2007

Volume 3 (Human Nature, The Family Of Blood, Blink): 23 July 2007

Volume 4 (Utopia, The Sound Of Drums, Last Of The Time Lords): 20 August 2007

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I love this DVD, but I cant really comment on the DVD itself, I can only comment on the Doctor Who series. The best yet in my view and well done to all the team who made Doctor Who, and the amazing actors.

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David Tennant has a new companion aboard the TARDIS, Martha Jones (played by Freema Agyeman) and the girl needs to adjust to the Time Vortex, as she will be travelling in time a lot more often. The first three episodes are:

Smith and Jones: When Martha Jones finds herself on the Moon, she meets a mysterious stranger called the Doctor, and her life will never be the same again.

The Shakespeare Code: The Doctor takes Martha to Elizabethan England, where William Shakespeare is under the control of deadly witch-like creatures.

Gridlock: The Doctor takes Martha to New Earth, in the far future, only to find that an entire city has become a deadly trap.

These episodes introduce Martha very well and the Doctor adjusts to a new companion onboard his Time and Relative Dimension in Space (the TARDIS), his time machine!

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This dvd contains some of the weaker episodes in the series. The episodes on this dvd are Smith and Jones, The Shakespeare Code, and Gridlock.

Smith and Jones= This episode introduces the Doctors new accomplice, Martha Jones. She is acted by Freema Agyeman, and I think she is a great actress and brilliant for the part. The episode is about a hospital transporting to the moon and the Doctor and Martha are in it. Aliens that look like rhinos come and execute anyone who gets in there way. This episode is good but it is not in the same league as some of the later ones ( 6.5/10 ).

The Shakespeare Code= In this episode the Doctor and Martha go to 1599 to see Shakespeare but there are some evil witches. This episode is the best on this dvd and I enjoyed it a lot. It has some great acting and quite a good plot ( 6.75/10 ).

Gridlock= This episode is set on New Earth and everyone is in a large traffic jam. This episode also has The Face Of Boes death. This episode in my opinion is the worst in the series and I think it is like being in a large traffic jam myself. I think The Face Of Boes secret at the end is annoying and if you haven't watched the last three episodes it seems really stupid ( 3/10 ).

I reccomend this dvd but I do think that you should buy other episodes first.

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Ok, so the dvd isn't released at the time of writing but the 3 episodes contained have all aired on TV now so I feel fair able to comment seeing as this is a vanilla release with no extras as such. Those wanting extras will have to wait for the season boxset later on in the year, but personally I'm not a big fan of extras so the vanilla releases do me nicely.

Billie Piper's departure meant that filling the companion's shoes was always going to be a difficult task, but on early evidence Freema Agyemang has stepped up to the plate pretty well, and to an extent is an intellectual match for the Doctor. David Tennant is also back in fine form and has truly made the role his own, without being typecast as many of his predecessors have found in the past. As usual the production values are very high and the pride in which the team take in making the show is evident in every episode.

So on to the episodes themselves. "Smith and Jones" I don't rate too highly as the principle villain did nothing for me, but the Judoon were fantastic and I would relish seeing them again at some point. Initial banter between the Doctor and Martha set up for an interesting relationship and the Doctor's anixety at not wishing to betray the loss of Rose was wonderfully expressed though thankfully not overly dwelt on.

"The Shakespeare Code" I found far more impressive. The Carrionites were once again a great new species of villains, but more impressive was the interpretation of history used in the episode, for instance Martha being identified as Shakespeare's famous muse, the Dark Lady. Again the Doctor's pain at the loss of Rose is portrayed well and is setting up a nice thread that seems likely to run through the season as it clearly begins to rankle with Martha. Credit also to Dean Lennox Kelly, an actor I'm not entirely keen on for the most part, for a very respectable performance as the Bard himself. Only a shame we didn't get to see the Tardis' attic that the Doctor mentions!

Now Gridlock I really do have mixed feelings about. On the negative side I wasn't impressed with the pacing of the episode, many of the characters stuck in the eponymous gridlock felt uninspired and to an extent irrelevant and Martha was woefully underused. Positively speaking though it was nice to see a little more of New Earth, the return of the Macra was a lovely tip of the hat to the classic era and there was a genuine and palpable air of dystopia about the episode which was quite an achievement. The unique selling point, if you will, of this episode though was the return of the Face of Boe. Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic creation, I love him to bits and wish he could have been used more than in his brief cameos in "The End of the World", "The Long Game" and "New Earth". Fans have been waiting since "New Earth" to hear his much vaunted final secret and although the majority guessed it prior to transmission the revelation didn't disappoint. It sets up beautifully for the rest of the series and specualtion is rife as to it's consequences. Overall though this episode is the reason I pulled my score down from 5 stars to 4.

So there you have it, a promising start. The series is getting even better with "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks" having already screened and in my humble opinion they were some of the finest episodes of the new era, but I'm getting ahead of myself and that's a review for another day.